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Job 36

 ¹ Elihu continued:

 ² "Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
       that there is more to be said in God's behalf.

 ³ I get my knowledge from afar;
       I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

 ⁴ Be assured that my words are not false;
       one perfect in knowledge is with you.

 ⁵ "God is mighty, but does not despise men;
       he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

 ⁶ He does not keep the wicked alive
       but gives the afflicted their rights.

 ⁷ He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
       he enthrones them with kings
       and exalts them forever.

 ⁸ But if men are bound in chains,
       held fast by cords of affliction,

 ⁹ he tells them what they have done—
       that they have sinned arrogantly.

 ¹⁰ He makes them listen to correction
       and commands them to repent of their evil.

 ¹¹ If they obey and serve him,
       they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
       and their years in contentment.

 ¹² But if they do not listen,
       they will perish by the sword ^[a]
       and die without knowledge.

 ¹³ "The godless in heart harbor resentment;
       even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

 ¹⁴ They die in their youth,
       among male prostitutes of the shrines.

 ¹⁵ But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
       he speaks to them in their affliction.

 ¹⁶ "He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
       to a spacious place free from restriction,
       to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

 ¹⁷ But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
       judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

 ¹⁸ Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
       do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

 ¹⁹ Would your wealth
       or even all your mighty efforts
       sustain you so you would not be in distress?

 ²⁰ Do not long for the night,
       to drag people away from their homes. ^[b]

 ²¹ Beware of turning to evil,
       which you seem to prefer to affliction.

 ²² "God is exalted in his power.
       Who is a teacher like him?

 ²³ Who has prescribed his ways for him,
       or said to him, 'You have done wrong'?

 ²⁴ Remember to extol his work,
       which men have praised in song.

 ²⁵ All mankind has seen it;
       men gaze on it from afar.

 ²⁶ How great is God—beyond our understanding!
       The number of his years is past finding out.

 ²⁷ "He draws up the drops of water,
       which distill as rain to the streams ^[c] ;

 ²⁸ the clouds pour down their moisture
       and abundant showers fall on mankind.

 ²⁹ Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
       how he thunders from his pavilion?

 ³⁰ See how he scatters his lightning about him,
       bathing the depths of the sea.

 ³¹ This is the way he governs ^[d] the nations
       and provides food in abundance.

 ³² He fills his hands with lightning
       and commands it to strike its mark.

 ³³ His thunder announces the coming storm;
       even the cattle make known its approach. ^[e]

Job 37

 ¹ "At this my heart pounds
       and leaps from its place.

 ² Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
       to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

 ³ He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
       and sends it to the ends of the earth.

 ⁴ After that comes the sound of his roar;
       he thunders with his majestic voice.
       When his voice resounds,
       he holds nothing back.

 ⁵ God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
       he does great things beyond our understanding.

 ⁶ He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'
       and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'

 ⁷ So that all men he has made may know his work,
       he stops every man from his labor. ^[f]

 ⁸ The animals take cover;
       they remain in their dens.

 ⁹ The tempest comes out from its chamber,
       the cold from the driving winds.

 ¹⁰ The breath of God produces ice,
       and the broad waters become frozen.

 ¹¹ He loads the clouds with moisture;
       he scatters his lightning through them.

 ¹² At his direction they swirl around
       over the face of the whole earth
       to do whatever he commands them.

 ¹³ He brings the clouds to punish men,
       or to water his earth ^[g] and show his love.

 ¹⁴ "Listen to this, Job;
       stop and consider God's wonders.

 ¹⁵ Do you know how God controls the clouds
       and makes his lightning flash?

 ¹⁶ Do you know how the clouds hang poised,
       those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?

 ¹⁷ You who swelter in your clothes
       when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

 ¹⁸ can you join him in spreading out the skies,
       hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

 ¹⁹ "Tell us what we should say to him;
       we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

 ²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak?
       Would any man ask to be swallowed up?

 ²¹ Now no one can look at the sun,
       bright as it is in the skies
       after the wind has swept them clean.

 ²² Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
       God comes in awesome majesty.

 ²³ The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
       in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

 ²⁴ Therefore, men revere him,
       for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? ^[h] "

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The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers

 ³⁰The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. ³¹The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. ³²Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. ³³After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.^{[a] 35}But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas